After the Silence
by bionic4ever
Summary: Sil2a: Jaime and Oscar have finally admitted their feelings for each other, and someone intends to separate them, for good.
1. Chapter 1

After the Silence

Chapter One

Oscar had dreamed of this moment - about every single detail - since the day he'd met Jaime for the first time. Jaime had thought about it, too; more of an '_I wonder what it would be like'_ rather than an '_I wish_' type of thought, but it had crossed her mind far more often than she'd admit, even to herself.

Now, the moment was reality. Rudy had, in a very subtle and gentle way, tricked them into revealing their true feelings for each other, changing both of their lives immeasurably. It had never been much of a secret at the OSI that Oscar harbored very deep feelings for Jaime. Probably the only person who remained unaware of it was Jaime herself. She definitely knew now, having heard Oscar practically shout at Rudy that, yes, he was in love with her. Jaime had joined them, and when Rudy had quietly slipped away, she looked into Oscar's kind, handsome face and felt herself melt as she saw and felt the love that radiated from his eyes. She knew at that moment that what she felt was more than professional respect, curiosity or even attraction. Jaime loved him, too, and told him so.

Their first kiss had been tentative, gentle - a testing of the waters - but as soon as their eyes met and they accepted each other's feelings, the kiss grew rapidly in intensity and passion until they were forced to stop to catch their breath. Now they stood together somewhat awkwardly, neither one sure what the next step would be, or if they should even take a 'next step' at all. Oscar reached out and ran his hand through Jaime's hair, something he'd always longed to do, and found it was even silkier than he'd imagined.

"How much longer is Rudy holding you hostage here?" he asked.

Jaime met his eyes with her own and smiled, daring to flirt just a little. "Just finished my last test. I am officially a free woman."

Oscar encircled her with his arms and pulled her close. "Is that a fact?" When Jaime leaned in to close the tiny gap still between them, he knew she was still on his wavelength and he kissed her again, harder and deeper, until she began to go limp in his arms.

"I can think of better places to be right now than on a hospital balcony," she told him breathlessly.

"Well, let's get you checked out of here. I've got a little bit of pull, you know. I'll bet I can nudge things along. Why don't you get your things together and meet me out front?"

"I'll miss you," Jaime teased, maintaining eye contact until the last possible moment.

------

True to his word, Oscar got Jaime signed out and discharged (with a little help from a very self-satisfied Rudy) and was waiting outside with his car and driver when Jaime rejoined him just a few minutes later. He opened the limo's back door for her, then got in next to her, immediately drawing her back into his arms. "Where to, M'Lady?" he asked, grinning at her.

"I think my boss was expecting me back in the office as soon as I was finished here. I wouldn't wanna get on his bad side..." Noticing the dark-shaded glass separating them from the driver, she nestled up against Oscar, her head resting comfortably on his powerful shoulder.

"Pretty mean guy, your boss?" Oscar joked, one arm holding Jaime close and the other hand caressing her shoulders, neck, her face and her hair, wanting to touch every inch of her but willing to wait and take as much time as necessary.

"I hear he's mellowed - just a bit - lately," she told him. She was raising her head to smile at him, hoping for another kiss when - **_BANG_** - the world seemed to explode around them. The limo careened wildly to the right and stopped with a horrible, wrenching _c-r-u-n-c-h._

Oscar hit the button to lower the glass between the front and back of the car, and immediately pushed it again to send it back up, hoping Jaime hadn't seen what he had. "Jaime?" She was slumped halfway over, into his lap, a large bump on her forehead, near the temple. She definitely hadn't seen the driver. At the moment, she was seeing nothing.

------


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Oscar's ability to remain calm and in control through any crisis was one reason why he'd always been so successful. This situation, though, was almost too much for him to bear. He couldn't quite wrap his logical mind around what had just happened. He couldn't use the driver's radio to call for help because the front of the limo was basically...gone. Not crushed, as it would be in a collision; just gone. The driver, what was left of him, was simply too gruesome a picture for what had been such a beautiful, perfect day. There was nothing he - or anyone - could do for the driver. Oscar's whole body ached from the concussive force of the blast, but the pain was the least of his worries. He had to help Jaime.

He got out of the limo and, as gently and carefully as he could, stretched her out across the seat, avoiding the evil-looking bump on the right side of her forehead. As he eased her into a prone position, Oscar felt genuine fear for the first time in many years. They were alone in the middle of nowhere, on a quiet road about ten miles from Rudy's complex. Oscar grabbed the emergency radio from its pocket in the backseat and turned it on. It couldn't be tuned to a particular frequency but had been specially designed to hone in on the nearest secure government emergency line, which he guessed was either the nearby Air Force base or -

"This is Doctor Wells," said the crackling voice on the other end.

"Rudy - thank God!"

"Oscar?"

"There's been...an explosion, I think. We need an ambulance or the Medivac, whichever can get here faster. Jaime's hurt, and my driver...he's dead. We're about ten miles from you, onValley View."

"Ok - we'll be right there."

"Rudy, have someone notify Base Security and the NSB."

"We'll take care of it. Hang on, and stay with Jaime."

The radio, not intended for anything but the shortest call for help, went dead. Oscar watched Jaime closely as distant sirens headed in their direction. This is what comes from getting too close to me, he thought sadly.

------

The bump on Jaime's head turned out to be - a bump on the head. After a day and a half of observation, she was released. Once they'd returned to work, Oscar had tried - for Jaime's safety - to convince her that the feelings between them weren't real, but she wasn't buying it.

"I'm sorry, Jaime; it was a mistake."

"Oscar, the way you held me, the look in your eyes...the only mistake is what you're doing right now."

"This is how it's going to be," he told her with all the authority he could muster. "I won't let you stand in the line of fire."

"It's a temporary situation," Jaime insisted. "The people who did this are gonna be caught, and -"

"And the next ones with an ax to grind will be right behind them. I'm really sorry, Babe, but there is nothing between us. There can't be."

Jaime wasn't willing - or able - to give up. "Tell me one more time that this isn't real." She threw her arms around Oscar's neck and, before he could react, threw all of her energy and all of her_self_ into one long, sweet kiss. When she felt one of his hands on the small of her back and the other entwined in her hair, she knew she'd made her point but continued kissing him for the joy and warmth it brought them both.

They heard the knock on the office door, but Steve, following his usual habit of not waiting for an invitation, walked right in.

"This how you're greeting all your operatives these days, Oscar?" he said with a chuckle. "Good thing I'm not Jack Hansen."

"Hansen would've waited for a 'come in'," Oscar joked. He turned to Jaime, who'd moved a respectable distance away, but with sparks still flying hot and fast between them, they were fooling no one. "Steve's working the case with Hansen and the NSB," he told her.

"I'm gonna help him," Jaime announced. "I want this _over with_."

"Tryin' to say I can't handle it?" Steve said lightly.

"_You_ said it, Austin, not me. Oscar, sign me up."

"Not. A. Chance."

"Oscar, I'm going to help. If someone's trying to hurt you - or worse - I am going to help find them. Period. If I have to go out independently, then so be it, but I am going."

"Miss Sommers," Oscar said with mock indignation, "I could have you thrown in the brig!" He smiled, then shrugged his shoulders at Steve. "Looks like you've got a partner."

On his way out, Steve couldn't stifle a bemused chuckle.

"Something you find funny, Colonel?" Oscar inquired.

"Oh, not a thing. Except - boy, does she have you whipped! Already!"

------


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"So...you and Oscar now, huh?" Steve said as he and Jaime left the building.

"Steve, I -"

"Hey, I think it's great."

"What?" Jaime was relieved, but it wasn't the reaction she'd expected.

"If it can't be me, then I'm glad you're with Oscar. I know he'll take care of you. And he definitely loves you." There was a lot more Steve wanted to say, but they had a job to do. "Jaime, let's sit down for a minute. You might have put yourself on this case, but you're also a witness. Did you see or hear anything unusual right before the crash?"

"It wasn't a crash; it was an explosion. A crash is an accident."

"Did you hear a bomb? Or possibly a gunshot?" Steve asked.

"I'm...not sure."

"Maybe you'd be better off meeting me in a little while; my first stop this morning isn't something you sho0uld have to deal with -"

"Don't baby me, Austin. I have the same abilities and the same government ranking as you do."

"Whoa there, Tiger. I wasn't questioning your ability; hell, I helped train you! But I was on my way to inspect the car, or what's left of it."

"Oh. Ok, let's get to it."

"Jaime -"

"I'll be fine."

------

After the explosion, Jaime had still been unconscious when Rudy and the medics took her from the car. She was unaware of the scope of the damage, the devastating destruction caused in one single moment. "Oh, my God..." she breathed as the site came into view. It had been kept intact, the car still where it had come to rest, guarded by factions of the NSB and OSI, until the incident had been fully investigated. Tears formed in Jaime's eyes but she fought to push them back. Steve hadn't seen any of it before, and he was shocked beyond words. He'd hoped there was at least a partial engine he could look at, because he had a theory, a starting point to his investigation. He'd have to find another way.

Jaime stood where the driver's door should have been, just staring. "We were so lucky..."

Luckier than you realize, if my theory's right, Steve thought. "Jaime, does this bring back any memories, especially of anything you might've heard right before this happened?"

"Oscar was conscious through the whole thing. You should probably ask him -"

"Already did."

Jaime noticed his eyes - especially the left one - carefully scanning the ground surrounding the site. "Steve, what is it? Did Oscar hear something? I'm supposed to be helping you; what are we looking for?"

Steve realized she was right. They'd been partnered in this investigation - even if it was only through Jaime's sheer stubborn-ness - so he should be giving her whatever clues he had, not keeping them to himself. "I'm looking for bullet casings or shotgun shells; any sign a gun was fired here."

"I don't get it."

"I don't think a bomb did this; too imprecise. They had no way of knowing when Oscar would be leaving the hospital."

"Remote control?" Jaime suggested.

"Possibly. But what I think happened was someone was waiting on this road for the limo to drive past. Someone with exceptionally good aim, because they probably took just one shot, aiming for the gas tank, intending to blow up the whole car."

Jaime's eyes grew wide. "The passenger section is reinforced like an armored tank. Otherwise -" She suddenly stopped talking, her attention diverted.

"Jaime -"

"Shh." She tried to focus through her fear. "Steve, get down!" she shouted, diving for the ground and push/pulling him down as she went. The _crack_ of a rifle shattered one of the few remaining windows on the half-limo, and half-a-dozen NSB/OSI agents instantly surrounded the car. Jaime pointed to a spot in the hills. "It came from there."

Steve was on his feet and halfway up the hill at bionic speed before any of the agents could react. When Jaime had pointed, he saw a figure running away through the trees and he'd be damned if he was letting him get away. The trailing agents could have whatever was left after Steve was done with him.

------

Steve smiled at Jaime as they rode - with full NSB/OSI escort - back to Oscar's office. "Do you think Oscar'll let us keep working together, now that you and he are -"

Jaime didn't let him finish the sentence. "Are what, Austin?"

"Together."

Now it was Jaime's turn to smile. "He'd be a fool not to. We still make one of the best teams in the business."

"By the way, by the time everyone else got up the hill, that guy was singing like a bird. We'll get his friends, too, and they can thank him for that."

"With a little friendly persuasion from you?"

"Maybe...just a little."

------

Jaime and Oscar spent most of the evening curled up together on a futon in front of a blazing fire. In between kisses, Jaime's eyes grew serious. "You know, you were saying it was too dangerous for me to be with you, and now it turns out you weren't the target; I was. Maybe, for your safety -"

"Shut up and kiss me," Oscar teased.

Jaime grinned. "You're the boss."

END


End file.
